Machines



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

H. F. BEOHMAN.

GRIPPBR EUR PLATBN PRINTNG MACHINES. No. 378,160. Patented Feb. 21, 1888.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. F. BEOHMAN.

GRIPPBR EUR PLATBN FRINTING MACHINES.

No. 878,160. Patented Feb. 2l, 1888.

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HENRY F. BECHMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SCHNIED- VEXD do LEE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,60, :lated February 2l, 1888.

Application filed August i0, iS'S. Renewed January ill, 5.35. Serial Xo. 260,787. (No model.)

To all whom, it 'may concern.-

Be it known that l, HENRY F. Boomers, a citizen oi' the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinven ted certain new and useful Improvements in Grippers for Platen Printinglllachines, ol which the following is a specitication.

This invention relates to improvements in .o grippers for printing-presses, and more particularly to that class in which the grippers are automatically actuated by a cam to have an intermittent contact with the oscillating platen of the printing-press during a portion i5 of its backward and forward movement for holding the material being printed upon in the proper position to receive the impression, and therefore has no relation to that class in which spring-tension alone is depended upon to hold the grippers in contact with the platen.

ln the class to which my invention relates heretofore a rigid connection has been provided between the grippers and the gripper-cam; but such a construction is objectionable, owing to thc fact that the printing-space is thereby rendered diiti cult of measurement, because the gripper-s cannotbe brought into contact with the platen, except when the latter is in an apj noximatcly vertical position and the rocking frame moved forward almost at the point of makin g an impression, at which time the measurement can obviously be only imperfectly made, thc marker being necessarily inserted between the platen and thc rocking frame.

The prime object of this invention is to have a flexible connection between the grippers and the gripper-cam, whereby the grippers may be brought into contact with the platen at any time during the operation of the machine.

Other objects are means for automatically returning to and retaining the gri ppers in their normal position after being brought into contact with the platen, and to provide certain details of construction, hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure l is a central vertical section through a printing-press, showing my deviceapplied thereto Fig. 2, an enlarged detail section showing my device attached to the platen and engaging the grippercam; Fig. 8, a detail pian view of the platen, showing my device attached and bent down in the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2; and Fig. 1i, a modification of my improvement'.

Similar letters of referenceindicate the same parts in the several tigures ol' the drawings.

A indicates the platen of an ordinary printing-press secured to the frame thereof, and caused to oscillate in the usual manner. Secured to either end, at the rear side of the platen, are the usual brackets, B, forming a support for the gripper-bar B, which is pivotally secured therein. This gripper-bar has the usual grippers, C, made adjustable by meansof slots l) in gripper-bar and the screwbolls E. Depending from the rear side, and near one end ot' the gripper-bar, is a lug, F, adapted to form a pivotal connection between said gripper-bar and aconnccting-rod,G, which lug also has a projection, F', adapted to strike against and form a stop to limit the outward movement of the sj'iringac'tuated gripper-bar.

As before described, G is a connecting-rod pivotally secured at its upper end to the lug F on the end of the said gripper-bar, and carrying on its lower end an anti-fricton roller, H, which engages and travels in the grippercamway l, for the purpose hereinafter def scribed. Projecting rearwardly from the said cam-lever near its upper end is an arm or hook, J, to which is secured one end of a spring, K, the other end of which spring is suitably secured at a convenient point to the stop F.

By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the gripperbar is eocentrically pivoted between the brackets B, as shown atc, and, as ordinarily occurs in printing-presses of this class,the grippo-rs secured thereto are only designed to grip the material to beprinted on just at the moment the impression is made and release it immediately afterward, and are held free from contact therewith in order that the material may be removed and a blank sheet substituted therefor.

In printing presses as heretofore constructedmhere a cam has been employed for operating the grippers, a rigid connection has been provided between the gripper and the grippencam, and in consequence of such connection the grippers have been held in a rigid position at all times, and normally in approxi- IOO mately the position shown in Fig. l, through the medium of said gripper-cam.

To make the necessary adjustment of the grippers for a new form of type accurate, it is necessary to continue the operation of the machine until the platen A attains approximately a vertical position, at which time the rocking frame L, .carrying the type m,will have moved forward and be on the point of making animpression, and the space thus left between the platen and the type'is so small that only a pencil or marker can be inserted between them; hence it is almost impossible for the operator to see in between the parts, and it becomes extremely difficult to make an exactadj ustment ofthe grippers. To overcome these objections, I employ the devices and in substantially the manner about to be described. When the platen is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the `rocking frame is at the limit of its backward movement, the greatest degree of separation exists between the platen A and rocking frame, and the platen at this time is most easy of access and a measurement can be accurately made on its surface. Before the parts are moved to the position last described au impression is first made on a piece of paper suitably secured to the platen A, and the members then moved to the position shown in Fig.

l. At this point the operator grasps the end of one of the grippers and draws it forward and downwardly, for by reason of the flexible connection between the gripperbar, to which the gripper is secured,and the gripper-cam the grippers are free to move if sufficient force is applied to overcome the tension of the spring K.

The grippers are bent down sufficiently7 to come in contact with the surface of the platen A, when the parts will assume the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. In this position the parts are in the most convenient possible position for adjustment, and the grippers can be adjusted to the impression made on the blank with a nicety and exactness not possible to attain in a machine as heretofore constructed. After being adjusted, when released, the spring K will cause the grippers to resume their normal position, as shown by full lines, Fig. 2. The stop F serves to pre- Vent the spring K from throwing the grippers out of proper position.

It may here be observed that the grippercam is the usual cam employed for .maintaining the grippers in their normal position during the oscillation of the platen A.

In the drawings, Fig. 3 represents the relative position of the platen and grippers when the latter are drawn down upon theplaten for adjustment, and the dotted `lines in same figure represent the outlines of an impression that has been made upon a blank sheet catch on the lever G, (see Fig. 4,)which will engage a suitable projection on the gripperbar when the parts' are in the same relative position as shown in Figs. l and 2. Of course when this connection is broken the grippers will lie upon the platen; but after the adjustment of the grippers is made the bars will be returned to theirnormal position, either by hand or by the continuous operation of the machine, and there caught and held by the spring-catch.

It is obvious that a measurement ofthe printing-space may take place at any time during the continuous operationof the machine.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. In a printing-press, the gripperbar, a stationary cam, and an arm or rod pivoted to said bar and actuated by said cam, in combination with a flexible. connection between said arm and the gripper-bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. rIhe platen and the gripperbarpivotally secured thereto, and the adjustable grippers, in combination with the connecting-rod G, pivotally connected to said bar, the spring K, and gripper-cam I, substantially as de scribed.

3. The grippers, the platen, the gripper-bar pivoted to said platen, in combination with the connecting-rod, ,and a pivot-connection between said rod and bar eccentric to the axis of the bar, substantially as described.

HENRY F. BEOHMAN.

Vitnesses:

XV. W. ELLIOTT, WILL R.. OMoHUNDRo.

IOO 

